Gnome Statues and Warriors
by PiscesWriter8
Summary: There is a strange object in Thunder Clan territory.Is it dangerous? And what a bit of gnome fate do to change the way Cinderheart and Lionblaze feel about each other... forever. It's my first FanFic so please read and enjoy!


**I hope you guys enjoy! It's my first story so it's not exactly amazing. (well it could be, maybe :)). Anyway, I really didn't like how Cinderheart said she didnt want to be with Lionblaze. (It's in the Omen of the Stars so sorry if I spoiled anything!) So I sorta made it a funny way of how they decided they really should be together. **

*****I want to thank ladycluuen001 and bps1006. I fixed the spelling stuff. Spelling was really bugging me but you guys gave me the energy to decide to finally fix it! :) Thanks!***  
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><p>Cinderheart slowly crept through the woods. She made sure to pad quietly so the mouse she was stalking wouldn't hear her.<p>

"Just a little farther," she thought.

She pounced. The mouse was hers! She snapped its neck and felt it go limp in her smoke colored paws. She happily and quite satisfied, padded back to camp, picking up her blackbird, squirrel and thrush along the way. She was almost at camp entrance when there was a huge commotion just below the high ledge. Suddenly Sorreltail ran up to her. She looked a bit stirred up. Her tortoiseshell fur was on end and her amber eyes were wide with curiosity and fear.

"Cinderheart hurry!" she quickly meowed. "You'd never guess what happened!"

Cinderheart barely had time to put her catch in the fresh kill pile when Firestar called together a clan meeting. He seemed a bit frazzled too but he tried to be calm when calling the clan.

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a clan meeting." Firestar announced. His emerald gaze looked thoughtfully around the clearing, his eyes trying to stay calm, but Cinderheart could tell they were filled with worried confusion.

"What's wrong?" Cinderheart whispered to Sorreltail.

"Shhhh…" she put her tail over Cinderheart's muzzle. "Just listen."

"At sunhigh," started Firestar. "Three cats went out for a border patrol, Thornclaw, Brackenfur and Lionblaze."

Cinderheart's heart froze for a second at the mention of Lionblaze's name. She still missed him terribly, but she couldn't love him. He was more powerful than Star Clan. Compared to him, she wasn't important at all. She turned her attention back to Firestar.

"These three cats ran into… something… quite unusual." He meowed. " It appeared to be a twoleg but frozen. Solid like a tree. But this, thing, was the size of an average grown cat. It had long white hair on its face, a green top and red legs. It had big tree colored things on it's paws, sort of like what the twolegs ware when walking."

Several murmurs echoed around the camp. "Sound's like a twoleg to me!" cried Squirrelflight.

Twolegs in the territory! Cinderheart thought. Her grey fur stood a bit on end. But, was this thing Firestar described really a twoleg?

"I can take it on!" mrrowed Berrynose. "I'll kill it and feed it to a fox."

"We don't want to have to deal with a fox too, mousebrain," hissed Dustpelt. "Now shut up."

Firestar waited for silence. He seemed to be a little calmed by the courageous comments from some of the Thunder Clan cats. "As I was saying, we don't know what to do about it. I'll send some warriors over to see how harmful this thing really is. I want Lionblaze to lead a patrol. Spiderleg, Leafpool and Sorreltail please go with him."

Lionblaze looked fearless. His golden pelt rippling in the afternoon sun. He is fearless, thought Cinderheart.

Leafpool seemed a bit surprised Firestar had picked her to go but she walked up to the front anyway. A curious looking Spiderleg joined her.

"I wonder what it is," he whispered to Leafpool. She nodded in agreement.

"Good luck," Cinderheart whispered. She could sense more anticipation coming off Sorreltail rather than fear.

Sorreltail nodded. "I hope this… thing… isn't too dangerous." She sighed and followed the rest of the patrol out confidently.

Cinderheart watched Lionblaze longingly. Would he be ok? "Be careful," she whispered.

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Lionblaze led the patrol into the forest. The sun warmed the earth and shown on his golden pelt making it shine. The air was fresh and sweet to match the beautiful summer that was creeping in. When he had first seen this very small, very strange twoleg thing before it was surprisingly close to the camp. It was solid and hard. He had tried to attack it but it simply stood their smiling with its cherry cheeks. He wasn't scared of it, just confused.

"Here we are," he turned to the patrol. "First let's check all sides of it. Get to know it. It could be dangerous."

Sorreltail sniffed it. "Smells a bit like twoleg, and mossy." She hit it with her claw. Merrrraaawww! And it's hard!"

Spiderleg lept at it and managed to lad on top of a pointy green thing on its head before sliding off. "It's slippery. Doesn't really feel… real."

"What's on its head?" asked Lionblaze. "Nothing I've ever seen before."

Leafpool started at it for a moment. "I think that's what twolegs call a hat." She sniffed it. "Maybe Purdy will know what it is. He knows twoleg stuff."

Lionblaze had no intention of even answering her. Luckily, Sorreltail stepped in. "Sounds like a good idea!"

The rest of the warriors agreed, along with Lionblaze simply shrugging. They all marched back to camp to consult with Purdy. If any cat knew anything about the ways twoleg's acted, it was Purdy.

Firestar ran to the cats as they came in. "What happened?"

Lionblaze shrugged. "We decided to ask Purdy to help. He knows most about twolegs."

Firestar looked thoughtful. "Probably the right decision. But I mean, asking Purdy…" he seemed a little unsure. Purdy was a sweet old cat but he wasn't always completely smart.

Lionblaze nodded. "He's helped us a lot." He challenged Firestar's trust in Purdy a little.

So, Firestar nodded. "Ok, then." He knew he could trust Lionblaze's decisions.

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Cinderheart looked up as Lionblaze walked in. She wished he would only talk to her… or… she could talk to him. "But no, he's too important." She thought.

He started to head toward the elder den and she watched him. Cinderheart couldn't take it. "I have to talk to him!"

Lionblaze trudged out of the elder's den with Purdy following. Purdy was puffing out his chest,gray muzzle high in the air, and acting quite proud. "Yup. I know most things 'bout upwalkers. They do ton of stranger stuff."

"That's great Purdy," Lionblaze tried to sound enthusiastic. "I bet you'll know what it is."

As they left camp Cinderheart slowly followed. She could always be out walking and "run into them".

"Over here Purdy," meowed Lionblaze.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'," huffed Purdy. "Young cats theser days. Always runnin' all round."

Cinderheart slowly followed. She finally got to the thing. It was, well, she didn't really know what to think. It wasn't big. It just looked strange and hard and cold. She watched as Lionblaze sat with his tail wrapped around his paws. He watched Purdy intently, interested in what the old cat thought it was.

Purdy sniffed then sighed and let out a mrrow of amusement. "You youngsters never seen somethin' like thiser statue before?"

"No," Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. "Purdy what is it?"

"Why it's a gnome!" cried Purdy.

Cinderheart couldn't help but stifle out a mrrow of laughter. A gnome! She'd heard of them before! They were harmless. Twolegs just kept them in their garden for no reason at all.

"A gnome!" meowed Lionblaze, a bit taken aback. "Purdy, aren't gnomes perfectly harmless?"

"Yessir," replied Purdy with a hint of what-else-did-you-think-it-was tone in his voice. "Nothin' to worry 'bout. I gotter go back to camp. I promised Mourfur I'd tell her 'bout my encounter with a bear when I was younger."

"Go ahead Purdy, but tell Firestar everything's ok." Lionblaze had gained his confidence again.

"Alright." Purdy started muttering how he knew the whole time there was no real danger.

"I going to stay here and try to get rid of it." Meowed Lionblaze trying to let Purdy know he was still the superior one in this situation.

Cinderheart watched as Purdy left, still muttering about Thunder Clan being almost too cautious. She shook her head figuring didn't have the courage to talk to Lionblaze. He just looked so powerful and strong and handsome. There was no way he could truly love someone like her. It was just impossible. She was about to turn around and leave when suddenly Lionblaze let out a screech. The big gnome started tumbling down and straight to the bush Cinderheart was under!

She didn't know what to do. Her thoughts were racing. She was about to get crushed by a gnome statue! It was small but just by looking at it she knew it weighed even more than Greystripe when he had his first real feast after the long hard winter.

She only had one thought though, "Lionblaze!" she cried. But it was too late. The gnome was already on top of her. She felt herself being crushed, like a mouse in her paws. The world was slowly fading from her when she felt a paw gently nudge her face from the cold, hard dirt, making it a little easier to breathe. She came to her senses and looked around. Cinderheart wasn't hurt now that she could breathe, just stuck.

Lionblaze was right at her side, "Cinderheart!" There was deep concern in his voice and something else. Was he worried? No it was different. Cinderheart just couldn't figure out what it was.

"Are you hurt?" Lionblaze flicked off the dirt covering her eyes and nose. "How'd you…" he trailed off. He didn't seem concerned about why Cinderheart was there. If anything he seemed almost, well…

"I'm stuck," Cinderheart managed to say. Mousebrain! She then thought. That was all you could thing of to say? _I'm stuck! _That sounds so stupid!_  
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"I'll get you out," Lionblaze meowed. But he was looking at her deep in thought. His eyes were almost sparkling.

What was in his eyes wondered Cinderheart. Was it anger, no, definitely not. Concern… love?

Loinblaze started to push the statue away and Cinderheart clawed her way out. Finally Cinderheart could stand again. She was tired and panting, but she was ok.

Lionblaze looked at her. "Don't ever scare me like that again." Worry was flowing off him like a waterfall. Cinderheart was pretty sure anger was mixed in with it, too.

Here he is being mad at me. The most powerful, bravest, strongest warrior I know and he caught me stuck in a situation only a kit could cause. "I…I'm sorry." She stammered.

"Cinderheart," Lionblaze looked into her eyes. No anger radiated off him, a little worry but also deep affection. "Cinderheart, I… well… that was really brave of you."

"What was brave?" asked Cinderheart. Brave? She thought. How was I brave?

"Being calm when you were being crushed by a gnome of course!" purred Lionblaze. "Even most senior warriors would completely flip out!"

"Oh thanks, I guess," Cinderheart tilted her head. What was he talking about. If he was trying to make fun of her she didn't find it very amusing. "Hey Lionblaze. That's not exactly, well something to be proud of."

"Yeah I know. I just wanted you to feel better." A purr rose in his throught and a smile started to spread across his muzzle.

Somehow, the gnome incident brought Cinderheart and Lionblaze closer together. They walked back to camp just as the sun was setting. The forest was covered in a hazy orange glow and Cinderheart and Lionblaze laughed all the way back to camp. Purring about gnomes and other twoleg things. Love and happiness flowed from their pelts. That's when Cinderheart realized, maybe Lionblaze did care.

"Lionblaze looked at her. A hint of laughter tinted his eyes. "Cinderheart, I love gnomes!"

Cinderheart twined her tail with his. "Why?" She meowed.

"Because I never guessed I'd find my true love buried under a gnome!" He purred. His eyes were filled with laughter and happiness.

She let out a mrrow of laughter. "Yeah, me too!" He's right, she realized. A gnome brought us together, must have been a bit of gnome fate.

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><p><strong>So did you like it for a first fanfic? PLEASE REVIEW!<strong>


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